2007 Jeep Compass Base Sport Utility 4-door 2.4l 4x4 4wd on 2040-cars

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Final Toledo Jeep decision may have nothing to do with city's efforts

Toledo, OH is doing all that it can to keep production of the Jeep Wrangler in its boundaries, but the biggest issue facing the plant may be insurmountable, no matter how desperately the city wants to keep the Wrangler local. The Wrangler is built in a rather interesting manner at the Toledo Supplier Park: Fiat Chrysler only handles the very final assembly of each vehicle, while two other companies, Kuka, a German firm, and Hyundai-Mobis, a member of the sprawling Hyundai empire, produce the body and chassis, respectively. The vehicles are then transferred over to the FCA part of the park, where they're painted and completed. This was, as The Detroit News explains, a convenient arrangement back in 2006 when the supplier park opened. Chrysler, which was still owned by Daimler at the time, arranged for Kuka and Mobis to handle production, saving it a huge sum of money. Both suppliers own their own machinery and buildings and employ their own workers. Now that FCA is a relatively healthy entity, though, there's not a lot of need to be sharing profits with two other companies. "What [FCA boss Sergio Marchionne] would like is to have the advantages of high-capacity utilization, owning that capacity and taking advantage of that for himself versus having a supplier doing some of the things his competitors do internally," David Cole, chairman emeritus at the Ann Arbor, MI-based Center for Automotive Research, told The News. "It really adds another level of complexity to the situation." While Sergio Marchionne is a man that generally gets what he wants, it seems unlikely that either Mobis or Kuka would give up their role quietly. According to Jon Zapf, Mobis North America's chairperson for UAW Local 12, the company "definitely wants to maintain their part of this production process." According to The News, Jeep is likely to announce the location of next-generation Wrangler production in June. Expect to hear much more on this one in the coming months.

Stellantis previews 4 electric platforms: Here's how they'll be used

Stellantis EV Day is hitting hard and fast this morning, with big news coming from Dodge and Ram and Jeep and the rest. But to support those brand transformations, a core initiative within Stellantis will help it become a leader in electrification. To do that, the group is developing platforms and technologies with cross-shared components and systems. This starts with four flexible BEV platforms: STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large and STLA Frame. As for targeted numbers, they’re lofty: By 2024, Stellantis aims for over 500 miles of range, 0-62 mph in 2 seconds and charging 200 miles of range in 10 minutes. The four platforms will offer battery capacities from 37 kWh to more than 200 kWh. More specifically, STLA Small will offer 37-82 kWh and up to 300 miles of range. STLA Medium will have 87-104 kWh and up to 440 miles. STLA Large will provide 101-118 kWh and up to 500 miles of range. The truck-focused STLA Frame will provide 159-200+ kWh and up to 500 miles of range (and will support an electric Ram 1500 pickup). Chrysler EV Front 34 View 8 Photos Stellantis has big plans for the STLA Large platform, and is currently developing eight vehicles for it in the next three to five years. Examples of possible vehicles shown include a midsize Ram truck and a Jeep off-roader that could fight against the likes of the Toyota 4Runner. Stellantis design boss Ralph Gilles could be seen in a presentation looking over a Chrysler electric crossover based on this platform. We also saw a Wagoneer badge teased momentarily. There was a rendered silhouette of a crossover that looked like it could compete with the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Gilles said the platform would allow Stellantis to “create a long-range luxury sedan, an all-conquering muscle car, a heart-of-the-market DUV, a heart-of-the-market SUV, a very capable Jeep off-roading white-space opportunity vehicle as well as a new mid-sized truck.” See for yourself in this video starting at the 90-minute mark. As for powertrains, Stellantis is developing three electric drive modules with a shared, scalable inverter, and other common components, as well as in-house software to control them. Those drive units will offer from 70 to 330 kW (94-402 horsepower). More specifically, one EDM will provide 70 kW, a second will provide 125-180 kW, while the most potent can produce 150-330 kW.

2018 Jeep Wranglers: Here's how much more they could cost you

The 2018 Jeep Wranglers were the stars of the L.A. Auto Show last week. And now further details about the lineup and its prices seem to have emerged from L.A., in the form of documents shared by a JL Wrangler Forums member. DrPerez07 passed along an information sheet he says was provided by FCA to its dealer reps at the show, and here is how he breaks down the price increases it may reveal: 2-Door JL Sport - $26,195 ($2,200 more than 2017 JK) Sport S - $29,095 ($2,100 more than 2017 JK) Rubicon - $36,395 ($2,750 more than 2017 JK) 4-Door JLU Sport - $29,995 ($2,100 more than 2017 JKU) Sport S - $33,195 ($2,100 more than 2017 JKU) Sahara - $36,995 ($2,700 more than 2017 JKU) Rubicon - $40,195 ($2,750 more than 2017 JKU) (These prices would seem to not include a destination charge.) As you can see, the Rubicon's base price crosses the Rubicon of $40,000 for the first time. And these prices seem to allay some confusion and concern among forum members regarding a recent forum post in which a Sahara test vehicle was photographed in the FCA HQ parking lot with a window sticker showing a "base price" of $45K. DrPerez07 built this first spreadsheet to clarify some garble that you can see in what he says was the actual document, which follows. Finally, DrPerez07 passes along documents that he says were given to him by a Jeep rep, which break down wheel options, engine options, horsepower and other specs, and a general rundown of what's new on the new models. He also says the rep told him that, interestingly despite the use of some aluminum body panels, the whole JL lineup, with the exception of the Rubicon, weighs more than their JK predecessors. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: LA 2017 View 17 Photos Image Credit: Drew Phillips / Autoblog Auto News Rumormill Jeep FCA jeep wrangler jl jl wrangler forums